Resetting the Western Conference: Northwest Division

In the first of three posts, we’ll take a division-by-division look at what changed, what stayed the same and what to expect in the Western Conference during the 2013-14 season. Today, the Northwest Division:

DENVER

2012-13: 57-25, 3rd in Western Conference, lost 4-2 to Golden State in 1st round

The Nuggets made one of the more puzzling moves of the offseason, jettisoning head coach George Karl despite enjoying their best regular-season finish since joining the NBA in 1976-77. The wheels came off in the postseason, however, as the Nuggets dropped four of the last five games in their first-round series with Golden State.

Andre Iguodala, a leading player in Denver’s ensemble approach, followed Karl out the door, joining those same Warriors in free agency. Including Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos, the Nuggets said goodbye to three of their top eight scorers, as well as one of the league’s elite defenders in Iguodala.

They did add one of the more highly-regarded assistants in Brian Shaw to replace Karl, as well as J.J. Hickson and Darrell Arthur to bolster a frontcourt that was already formidable. The Nuggets don’t have a traditional star, but they do have an abundance of quality players that gives Shaw plenty of options.

Most notable might be JaVale McGee, who struggled for significant time under Karl despite excellent production. Shaw said recently that McGee will enter training camp as a starter, something he’s done just seven times in 112 games with the Nuggets. The Nuggets will also be hoping for a strong return by Danilo Gallinari, whose late-season ACL injury contributed to their postseason collapse.

There is a new regime in Minnesota, with former head coach Flip Saunders returning to the Twin Cities to replace point guard fetishist David Kahn as the franchise overseer. He’s got his work cut out with a team that hasn’t won more than 33 games in eight seasons, and hasn’t reached the postseason in 10.

His first order of business was bringing in sharpshooter Kevin Martin to shore up their pathetic 3-point shooting (30.5 percent, last in the NBA). Saunders also re-signed starting center/cult favorite Nikola Pekovic to a rich new contract, returning 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds to the lineup.

Nothing, however, will help the T-Wolves as much as a healthy season from their best player, Kevin Love, who broke down after helping the United States take gold at the 2012 Olympics. He was the most notable loss during an injury-ravaged season in which 15 different players were pressed into starting duty.

Love in one piece, and a breakout season from third-year point guard Ricky Rubio, should be enough to offset the losses of Luke Ridnour, the only T-Wolf to play all 82 games last season, and Andre Kirilenko, who surprised the team — and pretty much everyone else around the NBA — by taking far less than market value to sign with Brooklyn.

OKLAHOMA CITY

2012-13: 60-22, 1st in Western Conference, lost 4-2 to Memphis in second round

The Thunder did well in the aftermath of the James Harden trade, improving their offensive efficiency and finishing first in the conference. Then came Russell Westbrook’s knee injury, and the predictable playoff ouster that followed. Compounding matters is the departure of Kevin Martin, leaving the Thunder with nothing immediate to show for dumping their budding young All-Star.

They do still have Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and that’s a wonderful place to start. The two 24-year-olds formed the highest-scoring tandem in the NBA last season, combining for more than 51 points per game. There’s also 23-year-old shot-blocker Serge Ibaka, who continues to improve offensively.

But losing Harden will continue to haunt the Thunder, particularly now that Martin is gone. He made roughly a quarter of the Thunder’s 598 3-pointers last season, leaving a hole they’ll be hard-pressed to fill. His prospective replacement, 2012 lottery pick Jeremy Lamb, has potential, and averaged 19 points per game during the Summer League. Still, he remains an unproven quantity.

There are also doubts about head coach Scott Brooks, particularly his loyalty to starting center Kendrick Perkins despite mounds of data that indicate he’s a detriment. As long as the Thunder have Durant and Westbrook, however, they remain a formidable opponent.

The Blazers had a quality starting lineup last season, led by All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard. Beyond that, they might as well have been an expansion team, with none of their reserves scoring more than 6.9 points per game or registering a Player Efficiency Rating better than 12.1 (the league average is 15.0).

Their attempts to flesh out the roster took a hit with the departure of J.J. Hickson, one of seven players in the NBA to average a double-double. But they also added a legitimate center to replace him in Robin Lopez, as well as Mo Williams and draftee C.J. McCollum to bolster the backcourt and Thomas Robinson to provide depth behind Aldridge.

How much impact those additions make will go a long ways toward deciding Aldridge’s future in Portland. An All-Star in each of the past two seasons, the former UT standout expressed his frustration with the franchise over the offseason but denied that he’d asked for a trade as reported. That could change, however, should the Blazers continue to struggle.

The biggest incentive for Aldridge to stay might be the continued development of Lillard, who averaged 19.0 points and 6.5 assists to run away with the ROY voting. Already a deadly shooter and polished pick-and-roll operator, he should only get better with time. It remains to be seen if the same will be true of Portland’s revamped roster.

The Jazz weren’t going anywhere with them, but make no mistake: losing Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap for nothing hurts. While their departures free up time for young big men Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, it also deprives Utah of its top two scorers and rebounders.

Regardless who plays, Utah’s prospects are so bleak that some observers detect the specter of tanking to earn extra ping-pong balls for the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. It’s probably as good a plan as any with such little hopes of contending for anything significant in the near future.

Tank or no, the Jazz have some intriguing prospects to develop. The aforementioned Favors and Kanter have shown quality complementary skills, the former as a shot-blocking force and the latter as a low-post scorer. Swingman Gordon Haywood has improved consistently throughout his three NBA seasons. Then there’s rookie Trey Burke, the former Michigan star pegged to add another name to Utah’s sterling point guard legacy.

Those players represent Utah’s future. Stripping down the salary base and opening up opportunities for them to learn and develop together is a smart bet for the future. In the present, however, it should make for a long season.